Northern State University suspends wrestling program
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by Northern State University Sports Information
ABERDEEN, S.D. - Northern State University President Dr. James Smith and Director of Athletics Josh Moon announced today that the Wolves wrestling program will be suspended for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 seasons. During this time, a comprehensive review will be conducted to examine the long-term viability of a competitive wrestling program and evaluate funding models necessary to elevate the program's standing in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II. This move comes two weeks after head wrestling Coach Pat Timm announced his resignation.
"NSU has a rich tradition of success in wrestling. We have had multiple national champions and over 40 All-Americans over the years and we have a good alumni base that have gone on to very successful careers. We simply have not been able to remain competitive in the NSIC, maintain an adequate roster level, and provide our student-athletes with a high quality experience," said President Smith.
Moon explained that NSU seeks to provide student-athletes on each of the 15-varsity programs with a championship experience that requires enough resources and opportunities to put them in the best position for success.
"While we have had some individual success," Moon said, "for the past seven years we have not been able to remain competitive in the NSIC."
NSU currently offers the lowest number of athletic scholarships in the NSIC for wrestling. NSU funds all of its athletic scholarships for all 15 NCAA Division II sport programs through external fundraising.
"In order to increase our scholarship levels and operating budget to reflect our peers in the NSIC, we would need to build an endowment of over $1.75 million to ensure enough funding" Moon said. "That would allow us to generate enough revenue each year to get to the mid-point of the NSIC."
Moon said that NSU will conduct an exhaustive self-study over the next two academic years and engage alumni and boosters in the evaluation process to determine if wrestling can be successful in the future at NSU.
"This is an extremely difficult decision," Smith said. "We realize how passionate our wrestling fans and students are about NSU wrestling. We would like nothing better than to place a championship team on the mats, so we will be looking at whether we can devise a funding approach that allows us to compete at a higher level."
Current NSU wrestling student-athletes are being encouraged to continue their education at NSU. Those who were on athletic scholarship and choose to stay at NSU will continue to receive their scholarship for the 2015-2016 year. Moon also said those student-athletes who wish to transfer to a different institution to continue to participate in collegiate-level wrestling will be granted a full transfer release to any institution of their choice.
"Coach Pat Timm has poured his heart and soul into NSU wrestling the past 15 years and has done a good job running this program and finding creative ways to increase scholarships and operational support," said Moon. "This decision is in no way a reflection of Coach Timm and the efforts he has made on behalf of NSU wrestling. We're grateful for the efforts Coach Timm has made on behalf of NSU wrestling and the leadership he has provided to the NSU student-athletes."
"NSU has a rich tradition of success in wrestling. We have had multiple national champions and over 40 All-Americans over the years and we have a good alumni base that have gone on to very successful careers. We simply have not been able to remain competitive in the NSIC, maintain an adequate roster level, and provide our student-athletes with a high quality experience," said President Smith.
Moon explained that NSU seeks to provide student-athletes on each of the 15-varsity programs with a championship experience that requires enough resources and opportunities to put them in the best position for success.
"While we have had some individual success," Moon said, "for the past seven years we have not been able to remain competitive in the NSIC."
NSU currently offers the lowest number of athletic scholarships in the NSIC for wrestling. NSU funds all of its athletic scholarships for all 15 NCAA Division II sport programs through external fundraising.
"In order to increase our scholarship levels and operating budget to reflect our peers in the NSIC, we would need to build an endowment of over $1.75 million to ensure enough funding" Moon said. "That would allow us to generate enough revenue each year to get to the mid-point of the NSIC."
Moon said that NSU will conduct an exhaustive self-study over the next two academic years and engage alumni and boosters in the evaluation process to determine if wrestling can be successful in the future at NSU.
"This is an extremely difficult decision," Smith said. "We realize how passionate our wrestling fans and students are about NSU wrestling. We would like nothing better than to place a championship team on the mats, so we will be looking at whether we can devise a funding approach that allows us to compete at a higher level."
Current NSU wrestling student-athletes are being encouraged to continue their education at NSU. Those who were on athletic scholarship and choose to stay at NSU will continue to receive their scholarship for the 2015-2016 year. Moon also said those student-athletes who wish to transfer to a different institution to continue to participate in collegiate-level wrestling will be granted a full transfer release to any institution of their choice.
"Coach Pat Timm has poured his heart and soul into NSU wrestling the past 15 years and has done a good job running this program and finding creative ways to increase scholarships and operational support," said Moon. "This decision is in no way a reflection of Coach Timm and the efforts he has made on behalf of NSU wrestling. We're grateful for the efforts Coach Timm has made on behalf of NSU wrestling and the leadership he has provided to the NSU student-athletes."
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